The combustion process has received broad areas of research commitment. In the Physics Today, November 2008 feature article “Research Needs for Future Internal Combustion Engines” by D K Manley, A Mcllroy and C A Taatjes, a large array of theoretical and experimental efforts detail the problems and partial solutions. The primary focus of the research detailed, is on providing homogeneous charge combustion ignition (HCCI).
In some engines the idea of fuel stratification is used to allow high compression ratios for lean burn piston engines. Introducing lean low octane number (ON) fuel to begin the burn and the high octane number (ON) fuel to resist the knocking allowed high compression ratios, low temperature in the burn and low production of NOx and CO2. This procedure reported indicates that the coefficient of variation (COV) in “indicated mean effective pressure” (IMEP) may be minimized by maintaining an air/fuel ratio near 23-27. These procedures are required for the standard piston engine due to the lack of combustion tailoring time period and the immediate expansion requirements.
A considerable interest has evolved in HCCI combustion technology. The chemical kinetics of combustion depends on the control of all of the fuel-air parameters including reaction rates. Therefore the isolation of the combustion chamber and the extension of the combustion time period will determine the final outcomes for the combustion and are uniquely incorporated in this invention.
All approaches to HCCI thus far require significant variations in the mechanical systems in order to provide precise timing of events within the combustion cycle, including the use of pre-combustion chambers and variable valve and ignition timing. Although each such scheme has provided HCCI conditions in some operating regions, the lean low power and extreme load regions have imperfections leading to poor efficiency or undesirable combustion product contaminants. The mechanical simplicity in this isolated combustion chamber requires none of these complicated and inadequate mechanical systems.